“Be caller Number 3 to win a gift certificate to ...”
Radio stations are always giving something away. Where do these items come from? From businesses looking for publicity. When you donate a prize in the form of free or discounted merchandise or services, you get your name mentioned on the air, and you may even get new customers. The prize winner may bring in more business either as a repeat customer or through word-of-mouth marketing.
When choosing a radio station to donate a prize to, make sure its format fits the tone of your business. If you run bus tours for retirees, don’t offer a fall foliage trip to a progressive rock station. Save it for a station that your customers listen to, perhaps one that plays golden oldies or classical music.
Remember not to limit yourself to commercial radio stations. You can get a mention on air by donating merchandise or a service to your public station’s fundraising campaign. This has the dual benefit of getting your name out before potential and existing customers while casting you as a charitably-minded business.
If you donate a service or product to the station’s fundraising auction, you will get a mention in the auction guide as well as on the air. The drawback, of course, is that the mahogany end table from your antique store may not come up for bid until the wee hours of the morning when few people are watching. But then there’s always the possibility that one of the viewers is an insomniac who’s been losing sleep over the fact that he can’t find a suitable end table for his couch.
If you don’t want to wait around for the annual or semi-annual fundraising campaign, consider underwriting a show. The return for your donation of money, products or service is a mention on air. By the way, this works for public television as well. Become a local sponsor of a show that relates to your business. “This Old House” makes sense for a hardware store, while a cooking show lends itself to a gourmet grocer or restaurant.
Public service announcements (PSA’s) are another tried-and-true way to advertise your business. Radio stations normally provide free air time for non-profit organizations, but if your business is doing something of interest to the community, say sponsoring a charity road race, you will probably qualify for a PSA. Write out your announcement, keeping it to the length of a 15-second spot, and get it to the station a month or so in advance of the event. The event itself offers a terrific opportunity to put your name before the public while generating goodwill.
As with any other marketing effort, be sure to publicize your relationship with radio or television stations. Write up a press release for your local newspapers and trade journals, put it in your newsletter and make note of it in your advertising. Don’t be timid about asking the station to include your name and contribution in its literature because remember, the benefits of this arrangement go both ways.
